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Minnesota parent upset over 'The Breakfast Club' being shown in class

TWO HARBORS, Minn. - A Two Harbors parent spoke out at a Lake Superior School District Board of Education meeting Tuesday, Dec. 12, regarding concerns over a movie played in class.

Laura Smith is a mother of five, four of whom attend Two Harbors High School. Recently, her 11th-grade daughter was brought home a permission slip to watch an R-rated movie in class for an assignment. The movie was the 1985 comedy-drama "The Breakfast Club." Though she appreciated the permission slip, she declined to allow her daughter to watch the movie, she said. She believes it is an inappropriate movie to show during class.

"When I found out this information, I was disappointed and saddened that the high school would allow a movie of this rating and content to be shown during the school day," she said. "Specifically, this movie has several instances of profanity, sexual comments, talk of payment for sex and rape, and a lengthy drug-smoking scene.I have reviewed the student handbook and see that profanity, sexual references and drug use are not tolerated in the high school, so I'm confused then why a movie depicting these activities is being shown in school."

Smith said she didn't plan on coming to the board meeting since she sent an email to the district office, but believed it was her duty to bring it to everyone's attention.

"I know that my daughter isn't going to watch that movie, but I feel like there are parents who don't know what's happening. There are kids that have forged their parents' signatures on the permission slips and that there are parents that just sign the permission slip and don't know what they are signing," Smith said.

Smith said she hopes her concerns will lead to an open dialogue about what type or content of media is permitted to be shown in school.

"Also after this discussion, I hope that a policy will be adopted regarding media consistent with the student handbook guidelines," she said.

Superintendent Bill Crandall told Smith and the board that there would be an investigation by the THHS principals to obtain more information on the matter.

Adelle Whitefoot is a Michigan native who moved to Minnesota in Sept. 2014 when she started as a reporter for the Lake County News-Chronicle. She graduated from Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Mich., in 2012 with a bachelor's in English writing and has been a professional photographer since 2011. Whitefoot is the night general assignments reporter for the Duluth News Tribune.